


The Way It Was

by brookamimi



Category: Doctor Who (2005), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vegas, Angst, F/M, Roski
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-18
Updated: 2013-12-18
Packaged: 2018-01-05 01:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1088048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brookamimi/pseuds/brookamimi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roski Vegas!AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Way It Was

_Back then this thing was running on momentum, love and trust_

_The Way It Was, The Killers_

 

He’d come to Las Vegas, Nevada to make his fortune. He arrived in the car his dad--he guessed-- gave him when he’d turned 16 with only the clothes on his back, a suit in a garment bag, $1200 cash, and hygienic necessities. First place he went was the Strip. He’d never been this far West, but he knew that the hotels and casinos were legendary for their beauty and attention to detail.

He put far too much into a parking meter, then made his way over to the next closest casino--The Bellagio. He wandered around in total awe of the place. It reeked of the posh atmosphere the better parts of Las Vegas lauded. The colored-glass ceiling. Indoor gardens. It took his breath away. He spent the rest of the afternoon seeing what other hotels had to offer. They were also lovely, but he decided that the Bellagio was the place for him. He paid up front for two weeks in the cheapest room. Even _that_ was incredibly posh. _Oh, what a word, posh_ , he thought.

That night found him at the blackjack table. There began a winning streak that lasted well into the night. Security got suspicious, but they couldn’t catch him cheating. “What was your name again, sir?” “Loki Odinson,” he said silkily. When he switched to roulette (no cards to count) and continued winning like magic, they finally let him be. They left, and a very pretty girl broke away from the bachelorette party she was attending to say hello. “Look at him,” said one of the casino workers to the bartender, “thinks he’s something special. His luck will turn.”

It didn’t.

Within a few weeks, Loki had made himself a nice little pile of cash and a habit of one-night stands with tourist girls. He’d collected plenty of phone numbers, but he never kept them. He was more focused on the games and the city he played them in. He’d upgraded to a better room at the Bellagio with the goal of doing well enough to get the penthouse. He always thought about being on the gambling floor with its strategy and smoke, but he was also enamoured with Las Vegas itself. He spent many days exploring the city.

One of those days found him at Nellis Air Force Base for an air show. He was alone--he’d made a few “friends” at the Strip, but he could only tolerate their company at the casino, when he only had to pay half attention. This was his personal time. Since he was doing so well, he’d found himself a much better wardrobe--today he wore designer jeans and a black leather jacket over a white t-shirt. As he made his way through the parking lot to where the crowd had gathered, he noticed a blonde girl paying more attention to the sky than to where she was going. She was about to walk into a car that had just started moving. He quickened his pace and called to her to bring her back to Earth. She jumped back and away from the oncoming vehicle. She turned to the sound of his voice, still in a bit of a shock.

He caught up to where she was. “Are you alright?” Up close, his suspicions that she was pretty were confirmed. And exceeded. “Yeah, ‘m fine...you sound you’re not from ‘round here, mate,” she said, smiling a bit. _And she’s English._ “Speak for yourself,” he replied. “It’s nice to meet a compatriot out in the colonies.” She smiled wider. “So what brings you to an airshow in Las Vegas?” Normally he didn’t have the patience for people during his day trips, but he talked with her all the way to the show. In London they would have called her common, but she was anything but. He was hard to charm and yet here she was, succeeding. He found himself during the show shifting his attention from the aircraft to her and back again. _I like th--this girl is really interesting,_ he thought, censoring his thoughts nervously.

They walked back to the parking lot together as well. He kicked up the desert dirt and she talked about the show. “You seem to know a bit about planes,” he commented. She blushed a bit. “Dated a pilot once. Flew me all over. Picked a few things up.” He didn’t push the issue further. But he did invite her to dinner. She accepted.

He was having such a good time with her. She was smart and funny, teasing yet kind. And endlessly surprising. “So tell me this,” she started to ask him near the end of their meal.“Where’d ya pick up that accent? It’s pretty good, but I know a fake when I hear one.” No one else had noticed. Just her. It was alarming. “Fine,” he said, speaking in his natural American accent. “You got me. But how in the world did you--?” “Jus’ did.” He raised his eyebrows incredulously. She answered the challenge by raising her own.

After a short staring contest, she went on. “And you haven’t told me your name.” “You haven’t told me yours!” he protested. “I’m Rose. Rose Tyler. And you?” He hesitated, debating how to answer. “Call me Loki.”

“Naw, I asked for your name.”

“That is my name here. Now. Whatever. I came to Vegas for a fresh start.” His voice became harsh. His face fell and hardened as he tried not to think of home. Her smile fell, but she reached across to take his hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know...”

Something tugged inside him to see her solemn, almost sad. Like the light had gone out of her eyes. He couldn’t stand it. He lifted her hand and kissed it. “Don’t worry about it.” He was relieved to see that it made her smile again. “What are you doing for the rest of the day, Rose?”

He praised whatever deities there were that she was not only available, but willing to spend more time with him. Until her next question.

“So Loki, what’s your favorite thing to do in the city at night?”

_Gambling. Smoking. A bit of drinking. A lot of sex._

“I don’t know, really. I work most nights.”

She raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Doin’ what?” She seemed to know what the answer was already, trying to see if he would lie to her again. Oh, this was fun. She had figured out the accent, but could he convince her he was somewhat honorable?

“I’m an investment banker,” he said, putting on his most honest face and voice. “It’s daytime in Japan when I work.”

She eyed him and smiled. “Ooh, you almost had me there.”

“Damn.”

And yet she didn’t ditch him right then and there. “It’ll be gettin’ dark soon. I know a place out a ways that has a fantastic view.”

He wasn’t so sure what there was to see in a desert like this, but he decided to take her word for it. They drove in the direction of the base, but further out to an abandoned runway.

“D’you have a blanket or anything in the back?”

So he did. He pulled it from the trunk and she spread it out on the hood of the car and climbed on top of it, motioning for him to sit next to her. Loki joined her, leaning back against the windshield.  Here, away from most of the city’s endless and harsh neon glow, one could see the stars with breathtakingly visibility.

“Wow.”

“Yeah, it’s something, isn’t it?”

They sat quietly for a few minutes, simply in awe of the view above them. She broke the silence first. “It’s okay that you do what you do.”

“Sorry?”

“The gamblin’. Just know when to quit, okay?” She started to settle on his shoulder, shivering a bit. “And don’t get in with the sharks, either. It never ends well.”

“You sound like you’ve got some experience with the high rollers.”

She didn’t say anything to that. Now it was his turn to feel bad about asking too personal a question. But he also felt the way he did at the restaurant--like the world would fall apart if she was upset.

“Hey,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” He put his arm around her, held her close. “And thanks for bringing me out here. It’s almost as lovely as you.”

The full moon let him see her smile as she looked up at him. He swore he could see glints of gold reflecting in her eyes. “Anytime. Especially with you. I like you, Loki.”

He took that as an invitation to kiss her. He had kissed a lot of women since moving to Nevada, but this; this was different. Against all his inclinations and better judgement, Rose had somehow ensnared him in a matter of hours. He kissed her slowly, almost with hesitation. And her pitch-perfect reciprocation sent a shiver through his soul. _This is it._

 

 


End file.
